Fajar Alfian/Muhammad Shohibul Fikri (INA)’s ABO and World Tour Finals dreams looked ready to slip through their fingers in today’s semifinal at the SATHIO GROUP Australian Badminton Open 2025.
The Indonesian pair needed a win today to secure the last spot in Hangzhou next month for the HSBC World Tour Finals. But when their opponents switched their tactics in the second game. While Alfian/Fikri were unable to react in the moment, after taking the interval to regroup, the fifth seeds adapted in the third and as a result were able to push ahead of their compatriots to take the win.
Final score: 21-15, 19-21, 21-16.
“I am happy to get the win and manage to qualify to the World Tour final,” explained Alfian. “This is beyond our expectation because we played together in the last 5 months and only 8 tournaments together.”
They will face world champions Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (MAS) in tomorrow’s final.
Mixed Doubles
Anticipation was high as Ruttanapak Oupthong/Jhenicha Sudjaipraparat (THA) and Jafar Hidayatullah/Felisha Alberta Nathaniel Pasabiru (INA) took the court for their semifinal match.
The reason was simple. Along with playing for a spot in tomorrow’s final, they were also playing for the final spot in the HSBC World Tour Finals.
The lead switched several times throughout the three games, with both sides digging deep. In the end, the Indonesian pair edged out their Thai opponents for a spot in both finals.
“I feel thankful, nothing else I could express,” said Pasaribu. “Definitely thankful, happy and relieved that we booked our spot in the World Tour Finals.”
Next up, they will face World Champions, Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei in the final.
Women’s Singles
An Se Young showed once why she is the number one player in the world.
Her expert movement around the court and perfect placement of the shuttle made it difficult for Ratchanok Intanon to find a groove, and the results reflected this.
The Korean player stunned both the crowd and her opponent by keeping her to single digits – An Se Young won the match 21-8, 21-16.
She will play Putri Kusuma Wardini in tomorrow’s final.
Men’s Singles
Chou Tien Chen fell just short of staging another unbelievable comeback. After losing the second game, he pushed to close the gap Lakshya Sen had built in the final moments of the match. However, this time, even he couldn’t make up the deficit.
Sen booked his spot in his first Super 500 final with a 17-21, 24-22, 21-16 victory over the Chinese Taipei player.
He will compete against Yushi Tanaka, who dashed Lin Chun-Yi’s ABO and HSBC World Tour Finals hopes with a 21-18, 21-15 win.
Women’s Doubles
All four of the semifinalists were vying for a spot in their first Super 500 finals. As the matches progressed, all players left everything out on the court.
Eventually, it was the two Indonesian pairs—Rachel Allessya Rose/Febi Setianingrum and Febriana Dwipuji Kusuma/M<eilysa Trias Puspitasari that emerged victorious.
Photos via BWF/BadmintonPhoto
